Loading X Restrictions

Copying Talismans... Needle-Person Control...

Baishi skimmed the stream of information, lost in thought, but before he could make sense of it-

Buzz, buzz, buzz! Another change occurred.

The black-purple stream of information compressed as though it were being digitized, until it condensed into an illusory black-purple octagonal Talisman. The words [Needle-Person Control] were copied onto its face.

Click!

A faint sound of something slotting into place rang out. [Needle-Person Control] had been set into the Talisman Wheel's sole slot.

The next instant! Buzzz~~~

From illusion to reality!

The stone wheel, which had been flickering in and out of view, seemed to become substantial within his consciousness. Every inch of it appeared with perfect clarity in Baishi's mind. Just then, a transparent stream of information began surging through his consciousness as though boiling.

[World rules forcibly loading: restrictions]

[Restriction one... Nen system forcibly loaded into Talisman Wheel... Six-type compatibility... Optimal Nen type: Conjuration... World rules forcibly loading...]

[Restriction two... equivalent restriction forcibly loaded into the Advent Emulation function... modification of the origin involved... Talisman Wheel strongly resisting... rules clashing intensely... error, error... remaining restrictions merging and loading...]

[Restriction three... Talisman Wheel restriction generating... Restriction four... Evolution restriction generating... Restriction five... Slot unsealing restriction generating... Restriction six... Weighted mission trigger restriction generating... Restriction seven... Advent Emulation Talisman proficiency generating...]

[Restriction eight... Vitality, aura, and spirit digitization restriction generating... Restriction nine... Talisman Wheel evolution unsealing generating... Restriction ten... Restriction generating...]

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!

Ngh~~~

Restrictions generating, restrictions generating...

Streams of information seemed to flash through the depths of his eyes. Baishi's pupils were vacant and unfocused, the changes in the information within his consciousness clearly reflected in them.

As the complex streams of information continued to emerge and overlap, the Talisman Wheel, which had stood upright in his consciousness, gradually tilted until it was horizontal. At its very center, the streams of information from the layers of generated restrictions condensed like a projection into a stone-colored data panel.

[Talisman Wheel (Conjuration)]

[Initial quality: stone]

[Bound host: Baishi]

[Restriction - digitized attributes: vitality: 5 aura: 5 spirit: 5]

[Restriction - Advent Emulation Talisman: Needle-Person Control (purple/beginner 1%)]

[Restriction - Advent Emulation Count: 0]

[Restriction - Wheel Primary Socket: 1/1]

[Restriction - Wheel Secondary Socket: 0/24]

[Restriction - mandatory main quest: Retrieve the Lost Talisman!]

[Restriction - Temporary Weighting Task: not triggered]

Ding, ding, ding!

Ding-

[Note: equivalent exchange with the restrictions of this world's rules complete. All restrictions have been generated and loaded...]

[Note: at the cost of restoring youth (18), vitality, aura, and spirit have been forcibly restricted to standard values for a minor...]

[Note: recovering Talismans grants opportunities to travel across the heavens (one-way). Due to the forced loading of restrictions, Advent Emulation attempts require triggering weighted missions for equivalent exchange...]

[Note: Advent Emulation Talisman proficiency forcibly loaded. Mandatory equivalent restriction generated...]

[Note: restrictions on Talisman Wheel evolution and unsealing are still generating...]

[Attention! The Talisman [Needle-Person Control] has been successfully slotted into the wheel. Forced awakening of [Nen] will now begin. Countdown: 30... 29... 28...]

Hiss-

Forced awakening?!

When his attention fell on the last message on the stone panel, Baishi's expression changed at once. The brief thirty-second countdown was ticking away fast. He hurriedly looked around and saw a dense, shadowy forested ridge just over ten meters away. He immediately strode forward and ran toward the forest.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

His hurrying figure drew sidelong glances from quite a few examinees.

But Baishi couldn't afford to worry about that now. "Watching" the countdown on the stone panel rapidly tick away second by second, he rushed into the forest and took cover behind several giant trees.

[3... 2... 1!!]

The next instant!

Buzz-boom-

The life energy throughout his body abruptly boiled. Baishi's pupils contracted sharply as black-purple Nen Aura from the [Needle-Person Control] Talisman savagely blasted through the aura nodes all over his body from top to bottom!

Countless aura nodes burst open. The black-purple Nen Aura abruptly withdrew, while the invisible current formed from Baishi's own life energy exploded outward in every direction like a raging blaze.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Outside the forest, gazes of surprise, puzzlement, astonishment, and interest turned, some sooner and some later, toward the forest where Baishi was!

Hiss...

In the forest, Baishi could clearly feel his life energy rushing out of him. After his mind went blank for an instant, he immediately grew tense.

Calm down, calm down! I can't panic now... How was the loss of life energy controlled in the original story?

Breathing! Baishi quickly adjusted his breathing, gradually recovering from his tension. He forced himself to stay calm and recall the scene in the original story when Wing helped Gon and Killua with their Forced Awakening, as well as some Nen Ability encyclopedias he had once looked up online out of interest.

Though it had been a long time, if he remembered correctly, the most basic elements of Nen training, the [Four Major Principles], were [Ten], [Zetsu], [Ren], and [Hatsu]!

Leaving aside whether this world, now made real, matched the setting of the original story, the only thing he could do now was hold firm to his belief and try it. Otherwise, once his life energy ran out...

Would he collapse or die? No one could say for certain!

Baishi frowned and concentrated with all his might.

To control the loss of life energy, he had to use either [Ten] or [Zetsu]. [Zetsu] closed the aura nodes throughout the body, thereby eliminating fatigue or restoring energy, but right now, it would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause!

After all, for a novice like him, temporarily closing the countless aura nodes throughout his body was nothing short of a pipe dream. By comparison, [Ten] was a technique for keeping [aura] within and around the body. And to transform life energy into controllable [aura]...

The first step was to merge his own will with his life energy!

I can go slowly... but I have to move my whole body by setting one part in motion!